


Promises

by Brooklyn_Knight



Category: Z Nation (TV)
Genre: Brotp to kinda enemies, F/M, awkward shelted boy in love with a happy cutoff loving blonde with a dark side, murphy x oc BROTP
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 17:54:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 21,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14117763
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brooklyn_Knight/pseuds/Brooklyn_Knight
Summary: "The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."-Robert Frost. 10K/OC.





	1. Prologue

**_Warning:_ **

_This is a 10K/Oc fanfiction. 10k/oc romance, Murphy/oc friendship, group/oc friendship. Basic things: There will be no bashing in this story so please no flames. It is rated T for now for Language but will be raised to M for Sexual Situations (aka Lemons). Sorry if it's a slow start but please give it and my character time to develop and grow.  
_

* * *

**Promises**

**Chapter One**

**Prologue**

* * *

It seemed to sneak its way into our world without much commotion. A new story of odd illness in other countries we simply couldn't find it in ourselves to care about and flipped the channel on. No one could tell you with complete surety what caused it or where it came from. No one knew whether it was an infection or a disease. If it was natural, biological weaponry, radiation, or bacterial, we didn't know. Nations and citizens pointed fingers and shouted accusations of who let it happen, who started this apocalyptic plague named the ZN1 virus.

Truth was, no one country had.

We blinked and suddenly it was here.

The first real television interruption came on a Monday: India had over a thousand cases and Sweden had over ninety.

The next week, Scotland had seventy cases, Morocco was estimated over a hundred, and India and Sweden were growing too fast to accurately count.

By week seven, South Africa and Israel were being flagged as mass casualty hot zones with immediate quarantine put in place. India and China had been categorized as 'Dark Zones' before sunset. Void of light, void of help, and void of hope, a Dark Zone was as dead as the infected who'd overtaken it. No help help would come for those inside and no creature would be allowed to come out alive. The human race had declared a third of its population dead.

The end of the second month brought with it the international travel band. Every nation, big, small, island, or landlocked had put up mass border control.

North and South America were infected by month nine despite all efforts to contain it.

Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, and Moldova...

Every few days, news reports listing small countries found only in the crevices of the world map's borders where brought to center-stage as their populations were overrun and declared 'Dark' in days. The human race watched in horror as ten cases became ten thousand. Ten thousand became one million. And one million became entire nations.

Two years after the infected entered the United States, the one percent took on a new meaning in America...

* * *


	2. Now Entering Z Nation

**(Between 1x01 & 1x02)**

** **Promises** **

**Chapter Two:  
**

**Now Entering Z Nation  
**

* * *

_"Don't let go of my hand. Carly! Look at me! Don't let go, understand?!" The little girl nodded before whimpering in fright. Another thunderous boom echoed overhead, nearly drowning out the sounds of the growling dead and bullet-like rain around them._

_Two hundred feet. Just two hundred feet between them and the truck, she repeated the mantra in her head over and over again as she waited for the zombies to pass by. Once there was a good distance between the lagging Zs and the door, they made their move. The slamming of the metal door however brought with it almost every Zs attention._

_Ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet..._

_They were putting good distance between them and the Zs, the heavy rain and flooded street both a blessing and a curse._

_The rain and absence of moonlight was making it difficult to see more than five feet in front of them, forcing her to slow down and stop every so often to shoot at or weave away from a Z that seemed to come out of nowhere. On the upside: the unbalanced undead were slipping and tripping on the slicked pavement as they chased after. "Little miracles", her mother always said._

_Closer and closer they got as they received more cover fire from those inside the truck. Ducking and weaving between cars, Zs and gunfire had shaken the woman's grip on the girl. And with other members coming towards them to back them up, and the Zs thought to be far enough away, the woman gave a smile between sharp breaths. That moment of overconfidence would soon fail them._

_It was an accumulation of missteps, poor judgment and bad luck that would result in tragedy..._

_They were both weak from hunger. The rain was heavy, hard and unrelenting. The porcelain doll in the little girl's other hand slipped and fell to the ground._

_Carly cried out and instinctively let go to grab it. The woman's hand was cold and numb from the freezing rain and didn't feel her let go at first. That same rain had made their hands slippery, the girl's hand de-latching without much effort. It only took seconds for it all to happen._

_One Mississippi..._

_The woman realized the girl's hand is not there._

_Two Mississippi..._

_She turned her head and nearly skids to a stop in an effort to turn._

_Three Mississippi..._

_Z's emerged from the ally and are unfathomably quick._

_Four Mississippi..._

_The woman turned around and began to run back for her._

_Five Mississippi..._

_The Zs swarm the girl. They scream out in unison._

_Six Mississippi..._

_The others pull her back into the truck, against her struggles and screams._

_Seven Mississippi..._

_The screaming stops._

_...The little girl is gone._

* * *

It took her a moment to realize she had pressed her face into the pillow. Regaining full consciousness, she rolled away from her self-suffocation and gasped for breath. Green eyes stared up at the orange ceiling of her tent, the sunshine outside illuminating everything in it in an eerie glow. She kicked at the sheets around her, desperate to escape their confines as she vividly remembered the feel of hands restraining her. Crawling to the entrance, she struggled to open the rusted zipper with shaking hands. Tears burned her vision.

She couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She could only hear that scream.

Every night, every nap, every time she closed her eyes: there it was, echoing in her ears.

The zipper finally gave in. She was lucky it was still early in the day when the children were in their school session and most of the parents were doing chores. She looked like one of _them_ as she crawled halfway out the tent, her clothes and hair a mess as she forced herself to take deep calming breaths. She focused on the fresh air around her, the feel of the rough grass under her hands. _You are not there_ , she reminded herself. Still, she heaved.

And that was how Margie and Marco found her. Zoned out and frozen half way out the tend she'd crawled from, it was unusual for her to sleep so late. They shared a look, approach cautiously. "AJ?" A thick Hispanic accent came from above her. Seeing his dirty biker boots from her tangled curtain of hair, she froze together entirely. "AJ?" She heard the suspicion in his voice.

"Yeah?" Her head turned to quickly, it startled the older duo.

"Damn, girl! Don't do that!" Marco cursed her. She would have laughed at his higher voice if she hadn't had noticed his hand gripping the handle of his knife.

She must have really been out of it.

For a fifty-year-old biker, the man was surprisingly spry and jumpy. His dark brown eyes held a sweet kindness that belied his rouged and scared face. Marco: survivor, scavenger, and guard. The twice-convicted biker with a record of theft and drug use had died three years ago. A kinder, sober, and fierce protector had taken his place. He, like so many others, was a constant reminder of how much the world had changed. Sometimes for the better, she thought as he gently helped her up.

"Morning." A small embarrassed smile was all she could manage, hoping they'd brush it off.

"Afternoon." Margie corrected. "Don't worry. Anders and Connie were all too happy to take over your geography class."

"Ha! They would." Ariel pulled her hair up into a bun as she glanced towards the schooling area. Three picnic tables and a few OfficeMax whiteboards would have to do... Upon observing the children writing and reading she caught Connie's eye and quickly looked away, the dead stare that hid hatred and loathing only making her throat close again.

Clearing her throat she remembered why he was here. "Were you just gonna let me sleep through you leaving?" She smirked.

"Nah, need my goodbye kiss...and my map." He shrugged as if the later wasn't important. Ariel bent back into her tent and clutched at the papers near the entrance. Up and around they went before Ariel found the right one and presented it to the older man. "Thanks, doll."

"Are you sure? I mean, don't you wanna wait till winter?" She nervously asked.

"Nah. Time's ticking. AJ, if she's there..."

"I know... I'm just really gonna miss you." The young woman tried to put on a bright smile but the knowledge she would never see him again brought tears to her eyes and heaviness to her heart. Her mother had always told her there are people you meet in life that you just know are gonna break your heart one day. Marco was one of those people for her.

They didn't know what to say after that. Or what to do. Marco was the closest thing she had to a father here and she the closest thing to a daughter. But the news that a woman meeting his wife's description and name was waiting in refugee camp west of Virginia was the one thing that could make them part. To find family again in this new world, was something akin to a miracle. Miracles shouldn't be ignored. At least not to the born again catholic Marco had become...

It was Margie that broke the sorrowful silence. "Oh for christ's sake!" The older woman threw up her hands in annoyance. "Hug, you idiots!"

AJ didn't need to be told twice. Her smaller arms circled around him, holding him tightly as if hoping she could keep him here. "I'm gonna miss you." She mumbled into his chest, her near tearful sniffle turning to a laugh as she was lifted off the ground with little effort. It would be the last time she ever saw Marco Alvarez...

* * *

Three day of water, two of food, and a splitting headache was all the group of eight had to show for the sacrifice made by Lieutenant Mark Hammond. Now they were saddled with an annoying ex-con, a trip through this god-forsaken, z-infested, great nation, and a quickly dwindling food supply in 90-degree weather.

"Someone's coming this way." Addy Carver came running around a corner, her boyfriend Mack right behind her. The fatigue and boredom that plagued them was replaced with alertness and suspicion. There was no such thing as too careful these days. They heard the motorcycles before they saw them.

"Jesus. Are they trying to attract ever walker in the state?" Mack scratched the back of his head.

"Don't know. Don't care. Just be ready," the group was ordered. Within moments the three bikers and one tiny smart car rounded the large warehouse building before slowing down to a stop.

"You folks need some help?" The largest man asked.

Roberta Warren and Charles Garnett, both ex-National Guards and the unspoken leaders of their group, gave sharp answers of no. This conflicted greatly with the shout of yes that came from Murphy in the back of the truck.

The man turned back to his friends, sharing small smiles that had Mack and Garnett gripping their guns.

"Look, man, if you need gas or a jump start we could help you out, I'm Marco. Behind me are Steven, Henry, and Chin. In the car are Rachel and her daughters Milli and Siera.

"We're out of gas," Murphy shouted to the displeasure of the group. The man known as 'the package' was cranky and irritating and in no way helping.

One of the men, Steven, got off his bike and pulled something out of the saddle bag. Before he had even turned around almost every individual had a gun up and pointed.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Steven braced his hands up and Marco told his men to lower their weapons. "It's just some gas...here, take it." He handed the gas-filled bottle to Cassandra. Upon the transaction completing everyone lowered their guns and shifted guiltily.

"Thank you."

"Anytime man. You looked like you needed some help. That's all we can spare right now, but if you need anything else we can point you in the right direction."

"There's a camp over that hill there. Put your hands up out the window and tell them Marco sent you, they'll let you in. You can find food, water, sleep..." Marco looked over their filthy faces, blood speckling every one of them, before twisting his face in displeasure at their smell. "and from the looks and smell of y'all, a shower!"

"Hey, you ain't smelling like sunshine n' flowers either, man!" Steven Beck, a drug user commonly referred to as 'Doc', barked back good-naturedly.

"Don't smell like cooked walkers though." Marco snickered.

"Just-" Garnett raised a hand to quiet Doc before turning back to Marco. "Thank you."

"Anytime, brother. Only ' _us_ and _them_ ' in this world is humans and Zs."

"Amen to that," Warren mumbled.

The group parted with a wave, Marco and his friends getting back on their motorcycles while the New York group made a quick exchanged.

"Do we keep going or do we check it out?" Mack asked.

Addy stepped forward, crossing her arms sternly and furrowing her brows in doubt. "Do you think we can trust them?"

"I think this gas will get us out of this town but won't get us much farther than that."

_"So..._ "

"So who wants to take a shower?" Garnett smirked.

* * *

Arriving at the camp was bittersweet. It looked so similar to Camp Blue Sky with it's huddled tents, eating center, and even a little school area for the children running happily inside. Yet it had the most simple of protection Blue Sky hadn't. A fence. A high, tall, reinforced fence around what used to be a football field.

Following instructions, they showed they were no threat and said their magic password. Upon hearing Marco's name the guards opened the rolling gate and waved them through. They were safe, albeit as anyone could be nowadays. Before they knew it, they were being fed and fawned over by the resident grandmother, Mrs. Margie.

"Hey, string bean! Eat up!" She served another helping of bread and tomato sauce onto the kid's and Doc's plates. "Now what the hell were you eight doing on main street?"

"We got lost." Murphy barely got the words out between stuffing his face.

"Lost going where? Don't you know how dangerous it is out there? Hell, seen more Zs than people around these parts the past year." She shook her head in sympathy. There were so many that they should have shown mercy but instead choose to let them wander away.

"California."

" _California_?!" The elderly woman balked at the idea, her gray-blue eyes widening in shock.

"We know how impossible it sounds..." Mack swallowed the last of his lunch.

"No, no." Margie waved off any offense she may have meant. Hope was hard to come by these day. No reason for her to try and dim it. She tried to tone down the shock in her voice, but her awe was still clear. "I actually know someone here who came from California. But why on earth are you going there? Don't you know those damn zombies get in a tizzy out there in the heat?"

"We sort of made a promise to someone.", was Garnett's only explanation. It had been decided upon early on that the fewer people knew about Murphy the better. Fewer threats, less disappointment, and less burden to carry should they fail and have to face all those who knew they had. Once more Garnett thought bitterly of how they had been screwed into this...

"Hmm!" Margie laughed. "Reminds me of AJ."

"Is that your daughter?" Addy brushed her dark red hair from her face. They would remain tight-lipped about their reasons and their company, but still, she attempting to show the same comforting kindness they had been shown.

"Nope. That's her over there." The group followed the direction of her finger. Across the way, a young blonde woman hung laundry, children running and reading around her without a care in the world. "Ariel's the one that made it here from California."

"Her?" Warren's brown eyes scanned her over. Pretty, but not formidable at a glance.

"Yeah. She's our residential navigator." Margie seemed almost proud as she smiled. "Quick as a snake and quiet as a mouse...at least while she's sneaking around. HA!" Margie cackled at her own inside joke. Shy smiles formed on the faces of many of the others. Laughter was so rare post-Z.

Garnette, however; had missed the joke, focusing instead on the title. "Navigator?" His green eyes didn't move as he watched her gently split apart two bickering kids. A thought began brewing...

"Oh yeah, she doesn't look like much but that girl knows every hideaway and travel route in this county. You need to get somewhere that's the girl to ask for directions. Funny because she can't listen for shit. Or maybe that's just me."

Garnette turned back, bracing a hand on his knee as he leaned closer. It was a fragile idea, one built more on hope than thought. "Ssay we wanted a map of where to go to get to California as quickly as possible...could she make one?"

The older woman's eyes crinkled in amusement. She leaned over the picnic table they sat around. Humor glimmered in those old blue eyes at Garnett's question. With the pride and confidence that only came from a woman with a weary life, she left no room for doubt. "If it's a map, she can make it."

* * *

"Excuse me, miss?" Garnett asked polity. He nodded in greeting to the young girl next to her as an apology for interrupting her reading.

"Sorry, I'm pretty busy. You see that woman over there at the table. That's Margie, she can help you with whatever you need." She didn't bother to turn around as she continued to pin up the damp clothing on the laundry line. "Keep reading, Sasha." She ordered of the young girl sitting beside her.

"We need you." Warren's no-nonsense voice made the blonde woman pause, her hands bracing against the laundry wire before falling to her side. They weren't expecting her to be that young when she turned around and for a moment they almost felt they had the wrong person. This girl made it coast to coast?

"Sasha, go read to Anders."

"But-"

"Sasha." Ariel waited until the girl had scuttled away before turning to look at them with a smile so sad it made Garnett cringe.

"I'm having a pretty crappy day so if you're looking for help on your suicide mission I'm not your girl. Not today. I filled my quota."

"We know it's a suicide mission but we need help."

"To where?"

"California." ... "Yeah, you might understand why we need you." He sighed at her disbelieving silence.

"Still no." She laughed at them.

"Please! We don't have many options. We're running against the clock and can't afford to go in circles."

Their desperation only awoke anger in her. "Do you know what it's like being forced to make a choice that has no effect on yourself? It's easy to ask me to make a map. It's easier for me to make a map. Wanna know what's not easy? The knowledge that I send someone out there without any foresight as to what could happen. Maybe I'm helping them, maybe I'm screwing them over, but the thought that someone I know and care about might die because I told them to turn left instead of right tends to fuck with your head. I already sent my best friend out there this morning. You want help making a choice? Flip a coin!"

"You wouldn't happen to be talking about the group we met on motorcycles today would you?"

"Marco?" She snapped back to attention.

"We've met. He sent us here." Addy's small smile was enough to give her hope.

"Marco sent you?" Her voice wavered.

"Yeah. He seemed okay."

Ariel went silent for a moment as her face changed from happy to hopeless. "He's desperate." she sniffled.

"So are we."

"Yeah, I figured." She picked up the laundry basket and began to turn away for good and with o other option Garnett made the difficult decision to lay it straight out for her. Grabbing Murphy and ignoring his objections, he called for her attention once more.

"I'm Charles Garnett. This is Roberta Warren." He introduced himself and the dark no-nonsense looking woman next to him. Behind her is Steven Beck-"

"Call me Doc." The thin old man with the long white hair and beard interrupted with a friendly smile.

"Addy Carver, Mack Thompson-" The couple, judging by the way they stayed so close, made up of a tall blonde man and a redhead who's sweetheart-face didn't seem to fit with the bloodstained mace in her hand, gave waves and nods of acknowledgment. "and our strays Cassandra and...he doesn't talk much." She only got an uneasy look from the short Asian beauty but at least it was better than the complete cold shoulder she got from the unnamed kid. Tall, thin, and pale with dark hair like the majority of the group, didn't bother looking at her as he surveyed the area around them. By the looks of it he seemed almost disappointed there was nothing to kill.

"See this man. His name is Murphy. He's important, very important." The sickly looking man named Murphy tried to shrug off the grip Garnett had on his collar but it only resulted in the Soldier shaking him back.

"Some would call me the savior of humanity." Murphy spread his arms in a showy manner.

"Some must be high." Ariel scoffed.

"Look, it doesn't look it, but this man is very important. He holds the only known vaccine to the ZN1 virus. Show her." He ordered Murphy. When he wouldn't do it, Doc grabbed his shirt and pulled it upwards for her to see. The small thunk of the basket hitting the grass was the only sound Ariel made as she crouched down to get a closer look, her eyes nearly bulging out of her face.

"Jesus Christ!" She whispered, running her fingers over the jagged edges of the graphs sewn in.

"So can we get that map?" Warren's raised eyebrow drew up the girl's attention and before they knew it she had sprung up and grabbed the basket. Trying and failing from keeping her eyes from finding Murphy's torso.

"I'll find you at dinner." And without a spare glance, she walked right past the kid. His and the rest of the group's gaze trailing behind her.

* * *

"This might be the best I've smelt in months." Addison Carver nearly moaned. She took another deep sniff of her jacket collar, a small smile building on her face at the simple act that reminded her of such happier, zombie free times.

They'd showered and been presented with substitute clothing while their own had been washed. And not with just water either, but honest to god detergent and fabric softener. And dear god, how soft that fabric felt…

Settled beside the one the many campfires, Doc hesitated wiping his hands on his shift, trying to preserve the luxury just a bit longer. "I can't remember the last time I had chili this good!" He wiped his hand on the cuff of his jeans instead.

"Slow down, slow down!" Roberta tried to calm them down as they seemed to shovel the food in their faces. "Don't make yourself sick!" She gently chided. It was hard going from not eating anything to eating three meals a day. Especially since every time their plates were empty there always seemed to be someone around up to offer something more.

Warren looked around warily, not thinking it was the best idea on their part but knowing it wasn't her camp to run. She bumped her knee with Garnett's seeing him doing much of the same. They didn't need to wear out their welcome too soon.

Addy sighed drawing some attention. "I wish we could stay." Her blue eyes wandered around the high steel fences almost allowing herself to fall into an ease of safety. Almost.. "They have beds!" A small laugh escaped at the idea. Not real beds, exactly, but sleeping bags and air mattresses that were cloud nine compared to the cramped truck or hard floor.

"I'm guessing that's where you two disappeared to earlier." Doc ribbed them from across the picnic table.

"This place is paradise to some of the others we've all been in…" Warren conceded. The simple sturdy fence itself providing the basic protection that could have saved their own camps. "-but we made a promise. We get this Jackass-"

_"Hey!"_

"-to California first. And AJ is gonna help us do that. Maybe then we can come back here. Maybe before that, we find something better." Warren shrugged.

"What could be better than this?!" Mack scoffed.

"A paradise island with no Z's, unlimited food… wi-fi." a dry voice behind them thought aloud.

_Speak of the devil and they shall appear…_

Ariel seemed to appear from nowhere, alarming some of the group. Doc and the silent kid turned and watched as she leaned over the kid's shoulder to pluck a 'desert' berry off his plate.

"Thanks, I'm starving." The irony of that statement considering where she was, was indeed, lost on her. She'd been running around after kids and digging through maps all day. If Margie was to know she's skipped lunch, she'd have AJ's hide.

"I usually just hand off maps, but with you super troopers…" Murphy jumped when she pulled a flashlight from her back pocket and tossed it at him.

Snapping her fingers for him to wake up and get with the program, she waited till he'd turned it on and pointed it at the massive map she was unfolding. They ignored his usual grumbles and scoffs. AJ pulled the cap off the red marker with her teeth, letting it rest in the corner of her mouth as she began to circle and trace paths they couldn't yet see.

"You're right about here." she circled the school they were in. "You're gonna follow this interstate down to here. Turn off on this road here to avoid the plane crash a few miles ahead, here. This will take you to a town where you may be able to get some supplies but will definitely be able to catch some sleep." She marked the roads with the red pen as she went. "From there you can go here, here, or here, for supplies, a quick trip or some more survivors." She marked each town with circles, Xs, and codes they couldn't keep up with. Spitting the cap from her mouth, she looked around the huddled group to make sure they were paying attention. "Now these are a tad outdated by a few months to a few weeks and some might be overrun with the Z herds by now. Intel's not as good as it used to be. In that case, go here. Follow this down to..."

Another two minutes passed and Ariel had marked as far down as Kentucky when she was stopped. "What?" She asked seeing their faces. They ranged from irritated or confused to hopelessness or admiration.

Garnett was the only one to speak up. "How did you learn all this?" He needed to know they weren't dealing with some wack job, a strong possibility considering the messy state of the map they could barely make out.

"In another life..." She shrugged. Running her arm across the paper, she tried to smooth the mess a bit more. A look of longing crossed her face, her fingertips seeming to caress the paper over a particular road.

"Cartographer?" Warren guessed.

"Nanny." AJ corrected. Warren and Garnette shared a look of anxious doubt. One AJ didn't miss. "But my mother was. Daddy was a trucker." She brushed a piece of blonde hair behind her ear. "Wasn't a summer break I wasn't in the rig or road tripping with 'em." Her blue eyes stared but didn't see. Her mind was elsewhere.

"Uh, miss?"

"Right!" AJ snapped back to focus. "Now another way passed the river is-"

"Wait, wait!" Garnette stopped her.

"Lady, all we see is red.", was Warren's more direct approach.

"Do you need a different color?" Ariel raised a brow. Warren squared her shoulders not amused at the little dig.

"Oh, I've missed cat fights." Murphy smiled.

"Warren." Garnett motioned for the black woman to follow him away from the rest of the group.

"Please tell me we're not thinking of bringing her?" She asked quietly. Seeing the hesitant look he gave her had her reminding him, "She's a kid. We have enough of those to look after. Not to mention Murphy."

"Hey, how old are you!?" Garnett suddenly called out.

"Twenty-two, I think." She added with a face. She should really pay more attention to the days.

"She's not a kid...and we need a navigator...and a nanny." At Warren's pulled brows he gave a small smile. "You wanna be stuck to Murphy's side?"

"She should come with." Warren conceded immediately. It had been less than 24 hours and she was already beginning to lose her tolerance around him. If she had to continue on this way they wouldn't make it out of New Jersey before she killed him.

Garnett paused a moment while Warren walked back, wondering if he should ask the others and maybe take a vote on the matter. The kid hadn't spoken, Murphy was an ass, Cassandra still seemed a bit cagey, and Mack's overprotectiveness of Addy would all guarantee a no or shrug. Even if Doc and Addy said yes it'd be a tie. They needed as big a help as they could get and anyone who thought their individual happiness was more important would get a harsh reality check.

With a deep breath, he made his choice. "What would it take to get you to come with us to California?" The young woman stood tall and looked over her shoulder at a few tents as if thinking for a moment. "We're in need of a navigator." He didn't want to beg.

"And a nanny." Warren looked pointedly at the ex-con.

"Sure." She smiled tightly.

The group all broke out into little exchanges amongst themselves. "That's it?"

"Yeah." She smiled more genuinely this time. "I'll pack my bag. I suggest you sleep in as much as you can tonight. Probably the last mattresses you'll see in a while." She rolled up the red stained map.

"Mattresses?" There was gleeful hope in Doc's voice.

"Blow ups but..." Ariel shrugged before grabbing the marker cap off the ground. "See you in the morning. Pleasant dreams!" She pulled the flashlight out of Murphy's hand and nodded goodnight before disappearing amongst the tents.

"Anyone else thinks that was too easy?"

* * *

"Here's some soap, toilet paper, mild medical kit, and some food." Margie smiled at them kindly as others loaded what little rations they could spare into one of the truck beds. "Now that water is from the river, fresh and filtered with a sheet, but don't forget to boil it!" She reminded Warren firmly.

"We can't thank you enough."

"No problem, sweetie."

"Can we just ask...AJ seemed kind of eager to leave all this." Warren looked around the well-doing camp. "Should we know something?"

Margie bit her lip looking at the girl hugging and high-fiving some of the kids as she finished packing her bag and advising a few of the searchers on where to look for supplies for the final time. Turning back to Warren she gave a bitter smile. "There are two main groups in this camp. Those that pity her and those that blame her. It's her story to tell, but there was a child she was traveling with. One that isn't here today." The words "dead" didn't have to be shared in this new world when speaking about those lost. If you weren't with someone they were probably dead or turned. There was no room for hope of anything else. "A few, mainly the girl's parents, Anders and Connie, say she sacrificed the girl to save herself. That she shouldn't be trusted."

"And what do you think?"

"I know that the reason she traveled so far with that little girl is because she promised her she'd get her to her parents. If there's one thing I would bet mercy on: it's the fact when AJ makes a promise she damn sure is gonna deliver it or die trying." Warren and Margie peered across the clearing to watch Ariel pull her bag over her shoulder and walk towards them with her head held high. "All we got in this world is an expiration date and our word. People like AJ don't just give up when things get hard. She's gonna be missed when she's gone."

"Who's gone?" Ariel asked shielding the sun from her eyes. Of course, it'd be sunshine and smiles the day she left...

"You!" Margie sang before swallowing her in a near painful bear-hug. "Be good. Be quick. And be nice...especially to the young one." Margie stage whispered with a wink. Ariel laughed out loud, her entire body shaking from the force. It would probably be the last time she ever heard Margie's signature 'Ha!' laughter at the end of her own joke.

Climbing up into the truck she gave one last "Goodbye, Margret!" before closing the heavy door.

The echoing sound seemed to shake the smile off her face, and for a moment all she could do was watch as Margie and a few others waved goodbye while they slowly drove out and away.

"Hey?"

"What?" Ariel quietly asked looking back at the faces of those she was leaving behind.

Garnett looked at her through the rearview mirror, sympathy in those blue eyes. The sympathetic part of him wanted to ask if she was alright. If she was sure she wanted to leave the safety behind for a near-suicide mission that, even if successful, might have no effect. However, realizing he had nearly talked _himself_ out of this mission, the unofficial leader simply asked: "Where to?"


	3. Cheater, Cheater, Brain Eaters...

**Cheater, Cheater, Brain Eaters...  
**

* * *

"Go around!"

"Too late!" Warren hollered a split second before Z blood and brains splattered more of the windshield. Between Warren and Garnett, Ariel was soon to go deaf if they kept yelling in her ear.

"I told you we could have turned around and taken the next bridge." The blonde grumbled as she braced herself for the jarring shake of the truck going over crunchy corpses. She glanced to the uneasy Garnett to her right before looking at the erratic Warren on her left.

_She should have gone with Mack and Addy..._

"Kid, you're here to get us there as quick as possible." Warren huffed. "If we turn around at every little Z herd we're never going to get there. Ha-ha!" She laughed gleefully as another Z was crushed by the force of the truck, blood gushing in all directions. Exiting off the bridge, Garnett sarcastically complimented her driving to which the woman cackled.

That smile on her face was wiped off twenty miles inside New Jersey when the engine began to sputter.

"Oh no! No!" Warren beat the truck's dashboard to no effect. "We're out of gas." She gritted out before pulling over to the side, the other two trucks behind them doing the same.

As soon as Warren was out of the truck, Ariel turned to Garnett and whispered through gritted teeth, "What's the point of having a navigator if you won't let me navigate!?"

"Next time we'll listen, you have my word. But your aren't on your own anymore so you can't be afraid to face a few. Besides, we're kind of on a schedule.", she was reminded before he exited the truck. She sat there in the uncomfortable middle seat bitterly thinking she wasn't afraid until Mack drew her attention with his holler.

"Heads up, we got company!" The distinct sound of motorcycle rumblings reached her ears as soon as she jumped out of the truck.

"Maybe it's that guy again?" Addy voiced.

Shielding her eyes from the sun, Ariel squinted to get a closer look while others placed their hands on their guns. "No. Too small to be Marco. And he and the others were going northeast anyways." Her words were not comforting.

"Alright then people." Warren cried for weapons ready. With bated breath they watched as the two men stared at them while riding past, ever second they slowed down and stared resulted in more and more guns being pulled. "That's right, keep rolling and we all live to see another day." And after a few more stretched seconds they revved their bikes and rode away out of sight.

You could practically hear the collective breath being released as everyone but Ariel and Cassandra turned back to fixing the tire. The two woman were still watching the road ahead one in fear and the other in curiosity.

"Let's see what's going on." Ariel's attention was drawn away from the road and towards Warren's voice.

She would soon wish she hadn't.

"Oh!" Ariel cringed away, waving her hand about in a a futile attempt to make it go away. "That's just wrong. Even by apocalypse standards!"

Low and behold a zombie had caught in the wheel well of the truck. It's jaw hanging on by one side, it's tongue shredded and it's intestines dripping and dragging out of it's shredded lower torso. And still it wiggled and growled trying to attack them.

"Well that explains the pull to the left." Doc joked.

With a plop it's rotten spleen fell from the suspended body and rolled down the small slope towards Murphy's and Ariel's feet.

"Oh god!" She blanched side stepping away from the black organ.

"What are you waiting for kill it! Kill it!" Murphy shouted, near deafening Ariel, before turning away.

It was Warren that finally gave the indistinguishable remains mercy. Turning around she asked "Where to now?"

"Paramus Park Mall is up the road no more than five miles."

"What are you, psychic?" Doc asked.

"No. There's a dot on the map with a little shopping cart in it." Ariel pulled the New Jersey map out of her back pocket and smacked Doc on the head lightly. "And the name Paramus Park Mall bolded underneath it."

* * *

Ariel balanced her feet carefully on the car top as she stretched over towards the gas tank. The mall so far had been a bust.

No food, no water, and apparently no gas. At least not on the bottom cars, thus her reason for playing spider monkey and nearly burning her hands off on the sun cooked cars.

She had a feeling the silent kid and Doc wouldn't be able to catch her should her feet slip but the idea gave her bravery to try it.

And so far it had panned out. The two water bottles full of gas were their only victory after nearly ten cars was sad but still more than the others had found.

"So what does AJ stand for?" Doc broke the silence below her. He and the kid were moving along the cars with her searching the bottoms as she siphoned gas from above.

"Ariel."

"Ariel what?"

"Ariel Jane Johannesburg." She sang to keep from screaming when her foot slipped. It wasn't the fall backwards she was scared of. It was the unsteady two-ton KIA falling on her that had her silently begging.

Doc let out a sharp whistle. "That's a mouthful."

"You can call me Ariel or AJ. What about you, Lurch? " She grunted, tossing down the now filled third bottle towards the kid only a few years younger than herself.

"What about you, kid? Got a name?" Doc tried to pressure. They couldn't very well go about calling him 'kid' for the next month or two.

"Ten thousand." He finally answered.

"That is not a name, that's a number."

"It's my name, made it up myself." He stated plainly. _  
_

"Supposed you'd have to."

"Big number. Are you just overcompensating for something or does it have a meaning?" Ariel cast a look down at the kid surprised to find him looking back at her. A moment later they had both turned their attention back to their respectable tasks.

"How many zombies I'm gonna kill."

"That's a whole lot of zombies."

"Already on 1,055." At his simple statement both Doc and Ariel quickly turned to look at him. Not the best idea for Ariel who quickly lost focus and slipped.

"What happens when you reach ten thousand?" She kicked the zombie in the car below her with her booted foot, knocking him back enough to pull herself back up and out of his reach.

"Change my name."

"To what, twenty thousand?" Doc laughed at himself.

"Jeff."

"Jeff?" The older two echoed.

"I like the name Jeff." The kid, sorry, Ten Thousand walked away from Doc, catching up to Ariel who had moved farther up. Pulling out his knife he told the growling, now aggressive walker with the boot dent in his face to shut up before plunging the knife into it's head. Beside him, Ariel slipped smoothly down and smirked, reminiscing about an old comic her grandfather read to her.

"Just Jeff — first and last and always it's Jeff" She looked up and smiled at the second time he made eye contact. Suddenly the kid was Mr. personality. "It's from an old comic...Mutt and Jeff." Ten thousand walked away back to the rest of the group almost immediately after. With no one else but the dead zombie around she turned to Doc, "I guess that makes you Mutt."

"Come on kid, this dead silence is giving me the heebies." Doc looked around on high alert. It was way too quiet here. "Hey! Got a good half gallon of gas." He announced once they had caught up with the group. It wasn't much but it was something.

"Great." Warren sighed putting her hands on her hips. She looked around the desolated parking lot in slight bewilderment. "Where did everybody go? I haven't seen a survivor except for those two bikers."

"Black Summer. Everybody starved to death."

"I was in Philly for Black Summer. It was bad. I lost thirty pounds. Thought I was dead."

"How _did_ you survive?' Addy asked.

"Did what I had to do."

There was no need to ask more. Post Zombie Earth meant doing being forced to do things you didn't want to do. Whether you were forced by other, or forced by yourself, it all came down to the basic drive to survive. That's all anyone did anymore...survive or die.

Speaking of death, the clattering of metal parts and the figure moving through cars drew the immediate attention of the crowd and before the figure even fully emerged guns were drawn and cocked and trigger fingers were ready to pull. The only thing that stopped the bullets from flying was the yelling that came from the man who'd passed them on the road.

"What happened to your friend?!"

"Turns out he had other friends of low morals. Took my ride...Horse thieves should be shot."

"You should choose better friends."

"Good ad- _vice_."The look of recognition on the guy's face when he spotted Cassandra didn't go unnoticed by the rest of them

"What can we do for you? One peaceful group of humans to a lone traveler?" Warren kindly reminded him out his disadvantage here.

"Could use a lift. Sure don't want to spend the night out here alone."

"Sorry." Murphy stopped him. "We ain't running a taxi service."

He was quickly ignored.

"Which way are you headed?" Garnett couldn't help but give the guy a chance. Just because he looked like a sketchy character didn't mean he was someone to leave to die.

"Any direction but back. Word is there's a horde on the move south on the New York side. I see you're scrounging for gas. You know like we used to say, ass, gas or grass." Scruffy, as Ariel had named him, let out a laugh seemingly at an inside joke. "Nobody rides for free. I know where you could fill up."

"Now would be the time to share that information!", he was ordered.

"Place called Jersey Devil Refinery, maybe five miles off, just off the turnpike." At their skepticism he continued, "Got overrun day number one. All the tanks are still full, just rusting away. You're in and out in five minutes.."

"All right, take us to this refinery. And if there's gas there like you say, you can ride with us to the next outpost." Garnett ignored the looks from his group as he made a deal.

"You won't be sorry." Scruffy's face light up with a large smirk that, while meant to be reassuring, only ended up putting them more on edge.

* * *

She was already sorry and it hadn't been more than ten minutes. Warren and Garnett had decided to make Scruffy ride with them, demoting Ariel to the back of the second truck with ten thousand. That alone wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't refused to ever look at her or even make a single sound. Bored and frustrated, her head lulled back onto the glass where she listened to the others wonder about Scruffy tagging along.

_"So are we just gonna pick up every sketchy loser at every place we stop?"_

_"Well we brought you and navigator barbie along, didn't we?"_ Murphy grumbled. The resting patient was startled when a hand connected to the glass against his ear.

"I heard that." She glared at him from the truck bed. Murphy only flipped her off before getting comfortable again and continuing on with their conversation. Uninterested in whether Scruffy would be a permanent addition or not, she settled back down only to find the statue beside her looking at her. He was paler than her though not as fair as Addy. His nose was long, his face was soft, and his hair was black. He was good looking, or at least he would be if he cracked a goddamn smile, or smirk or any freaking emotion other that mask of disinterest.

"Oh now he moves!" She tried to goad him into any reaction, anger, humor, sarcasm, anything! But Ten Thousand only turned back around watching the landscape one more. "Come on 10K," Ten thousand almost turned around at the nickname. "-this is gonna be a very long trip if you continue to ignore me. Did I do something to you?" She accused.

"No."

"No? What it that I called you, Lurch?"

"No." He said more firmly.

She admired his profile a little longer before glancing behind her at the others in the truck had been a day that she had been with them. A day compared to however long they had previously been a group. She had understood of course, it's never easy adding another cog to something that already had a great flow. Still, she couldn't help but miss her own group, Done with feeling ostracized by him, she quietly sighed and slid to the other side of the truck, looking out into the woods. Oblivious to the fact he had turned around to look at her in shy guilt before the sound of echoing thudding caught both's attention.

"What the hell is that?" Ariel and 10K became alert, sitting up. As they stopped passing single Zs and started passing groups of them, they armed themselves. Looking around the otherwise empty stretch of land it wasn't hard to tell that the refinery was the only thing capable of making that noise. Louder and louder it got, steady and echoing like a ticking clock.

Every mile closer brought a louder boom, and the louder the boom, the bigger the herds until finally the convoy stopped.

"Shit." Ariel's head lowered onto the roof of the truck. The Z's they had passed had to be going somewhere. They just didn't expect every single one to stay and crowd their fuel. Similar statements were passed amongst the group, the realization that this wasn't going to be as easy as thought dampening their spirits.

They has been lied to, and while they were all thinking the same thing, no one could say it better then Murphy, "That's not a refinery. That's a zombie factory."

From beside her 10K smirked, "Frackin' Zombies."

Ariel rested her elbows on the top of the truck, cradling her head in her hands in frustration. "This is gonna be longer than five minutes, isn't it?"

"Probably." 10K shrugged leaping out of the truck bed. At first she was confused as to why he turned around and held out his hand, but upon settling herself to jump out that hand grabbed her own, letting her brace herself on his shoulder as she jumped.

"Thanks." He nodded his head in acceptance and followed behind her towards the converging group. Meant to be an apology or not, she would take it as one.

* * *

"They seem to want something in there real bad." The entourage had formed a loose group around the cars, everyone's eyes watching the Zs march almost in tune with the earth shaking machinery.

"It's that sound. Like bees to honey."

"Or Zs to shit." Murphy corrected Cassandra.

"Hey!" Warren yelled at Scruffy gaining their attention. "You know about this?"

"Hey, all the easy gas is gone." He scoffed.

"You said it'd take ten minutes!" Ariel scoffed back.

"If I told you about the Zs you wouldn't have come."

"No shit, Asshole." Ariel cursed him. "I say turn back." She redirected at their leaders in a much softer tone. "It'll take a bit but I'm sure I can find someplace else for us to go."

"No." Garnett shot her down. "We're here already and any attempt to even turn around a mile will drain us dry." From behind him Ariel threw up her hands and walked towards the back of the group. What was the point of her coming if they never listened to her!?

"So what's the brilliant plan? Die? Get eaten? Go home early?"

It had been a silent mutual agreement that the rest of the group would ignore whatever Murphy said. "What's that smell?" They each took a sniff at the air.

"The undead and gasoline. Both highly flammable, so no firearms of any kind."

"So how do you want to handle this?"

The group came up with a plan. Addy and Mack would shut off the main pump, Cassandra and Scruffy would use the music crank to draw the Zs away from it, and Warren and Garnet filled up the tanker with gas.

"Where'd that kid go?" Garnett tried looking around what members had yet to be assigned a task.

Ariel glanced over her shoulder only to then spin around completely. "He was right behind us!"

"Oh and his name is Ten Thousand." Doc added helpfully.

"Well he better be back by the time we're ready to go."

"Hey, if we get that tanker started and we could fill it up from the main tank, that much gas would get us to California." Warren suggested.

"I like the way you think."

Murphy sighed and rolled his eyes. "So what should I be doing while you all are getting incinerated to death?"

"You're a wonderful person, very chipper." Ariel glowered up at him. The convict shrugged and looked away. Pulling back his lips to silently mock her he stopped when he found she was still watching him, her glare only intensifying and her mouth opening to fight when Garnett broke them apart...only to thrust them back together.

"Why don't you two take Mr. Congeniality here and the suburban and get back to a safe distance, just in case."

"What if you know... zombies?" Doc whispered. It was the kindest way he could think of to ask what they should do should the rest of them be torn to shreds, eaten, bitten, and or turned.

"If this all ends in tears, you get to get him to California."

* * *

A safe distance from the main gas tankers the three individuals sat around the car's console. A game of Go Fish slowly being played out upon it.

"Is it just me or did Cassandra seem to know Scruffy?"

"Scruffy?" Both Doc and Murphy asked.

"He needs a name. And any threes?"

"Go fish. He's not a dog." Doc scolded lightly.

"I have a feeling he really is." Ariel's eye brows raised, drawing another card. "How'd you guys all meet up?"

"Warren and Garnett knew each other from the National Guard. They went around gathering stranglers and keeping camps safe. Along one of their group's moves they found me. Few months later I was out trading and I found them. We stayed in Camp Blue Sky until this little sunshine-" Doc cocked his thumb in Murphy's direction. "showed up with an army guide. Shit went south, we made a run for it and found Cassandra and the kid. Then couple days later found you."

"How long have you guys been a group?"

"Warren and Garnett: Years. Mack and Addy: who knows! But I've been with them for months."

"Are we gonna play or what?!" Murphy snapped their attention back to what really mattered. Doc and Ariel exchanged an exhausted look, continuing to play quietly to appease the temperamental man child.

It wasn't until they had begun their third game that Doc finally asked. "I wonder how it's going?"

Murphy eyed the area outside the car, offering his own brand of optimism. "Haven't heard anything blow up...Yet."

"Eights?"

"Go fish."

Ariel looked up and around hearing the thudding stop before briefly starting up again. When no loud explosion occurred and no fiery ball of death seemed to ignite, she put aside her worries and went back to the game. Her alertness and suspicion had her eyes sharp as an eagles and the fact Murphy was looking intently at something behind her quickly caught her attention.

Her hand hovered over the knife in the cup-holder and her head twisting to see what he was so interested in. But she found no zombie only her cars in the reflection of the sideview mirror.

"Son of a bitch. You cheat!" She accused. She wasn't so much mad he had done it but that he had done it over something as simple as Go-Fish...and she had let him!

"What?" Doc's face turned to her in a confused frown. How did someone cheat at Go-Fish?

"He's been looking at my cards through the mirror!" Ariel tossed her now tainted hand onto the leather console.

"Murphy man. Not cool!" Doc took the cars and began to shuffle them. "First time I've ever seen anybody cheat at Go-Fish!"

"Yeah, well, it's a gift." Murphy's head bobbed around searching for any signs of the others. The car was confining, and even though it was just the three of them it felt cramped and stuffy. Like he couldn't breath. The added knowledge that just a little bit away hundreds of Zs were stumbling around was making him sweat. "What the hell is taking so long?"

"Full service just ain't what it used to be." The elder cracked. "Relax, Garnett and Warren know what they're doing."

"Too many Zs around here. It's freaking me out. I got a phobia you know ever since I got bit."

"Doesn't every body?" Ariel stretched out her legs on the dashboard, leaning back as far as the seat would go in order to catch some rest.

"I've been meaning to ask you about that."

"So these bites-"

"N-No no. Wait. What kind of doctor are you anyway?" Ariel's eyes opened her head rolling to the side to look at Murphy and then darting her eyes to Doc.

"Not really a doctor, more of a... amateur pharmacologist." That might just be the fanciest way Ariel had ever heard someone describe a druggie ever, and her grin reflected that.

"User or dealer?" She pondered.

"Well if it's good you should share it. If your dealing it you should be trying it." He shrugged making her chuckled before turning back to the serious question. "What about you? How'd you get to be the savior of the human race?"

"You really wanna know?" Murphy gave a grunt. "Truth is for a guy who's been wrongly convicted, I'm actually very civic-minded. I volunteered. It wasn't easy, but somebody had to do it."

"Man, they would have to beat me senseless, strap me down, before I'd ever let anybody inject me with a live zombie virus." Doc cringed at the thought.

"Yeah, well it wasn't about me. You know you do what you got to do. For the kids..." He shrugged.

"So you you got the vaccine and then you got bitten?

"Eight times."

"Good God."

"If you say so."

"That must have been horrible."

"Must have been. Luckily I blacked out, so I don't remember any of it." The ex convict gulped.

Ariel's bros furrowed noticing Murphy play with his jacket once again, his eyes not looking in their direction. Her daddy wasn't much for teaching her about boys but he did teach her to spot a bullshitter from a mile off.

"Somehow Hammond rescued me. Better late than never, I guess. And been on the run ever since." Murphy shrugged it off.

"Now Hammond's dead, too." Doc sighed in pity.

"How'd he die?"

"Zombie baby and it's mother." His response brought upon more questions than answers. Rolling onto her side, Ariel clutched childishly at the headrest looking to and fro Doc and Murphy like an eager child listening to a story.

"W-What? Like...Like it was an actually baby?!"

"Onesie and all." Doc nodded.

"Shit...That's terrifying on a whole new level."

"Yeah, makes the worst kid you ever watched seem a piece a cake now!" Doc laughed.

"Well I had some mean little bastards, but hell, none of them tried to eat me."

The snarling and growling of Zombies outside the car had Ariel sitting up.

"Shhh." Doc warn Muprhy. "We got some nosey neighbors.

"Call the others!" Murphy cried. It was like watching a caged animal be startled. His eyes darted around, his body jerking as his death grip on the seat keeping him anchored while his fear told for him to run.

"You're attracting them!"

"Get us out of here!"

"Shut up! Good grief, dude Murphy, all right." Doc cotninued to try and sooth Murphy while Ariel observed the outside area. More and more kept coming, drawn by the music playing behind them but stopping to check out the yelling and jerking in the car. "You're safe in here man. They can't get you. Now just try to breathe through it, man."

If they didn't do something soon they were gonna be overrun.

Murphy whined and groaned, covering his face with his jacket and hiding away deeper into the back seat. He looked so much like a child then that Ariel decided to take a different approach. Putting on her 'Nanny voice' she calmly called his name before holding out her hand. If he was going to act like a child she was going to have to sooth him like a child.

"Give me your hand. Take my hand Murphy." She threaded her own fingers through his and pulled his hand towards her. He held it tight, slightly trembling as he peaked out at her through his jacket and focused on her bullshitted calm and happy smile. He stopped yelling and just focused on her, eyes darting around her face to find any sign of lying before unabashedly taking the opportunity to drop his eyes to her large chest.

Her smile instantly fell.

Still, it seemed to work until a particularly desperate Z slammed his face against the window startling them all. Staring straight at Murphy with it's yellow and white eyes, it's teeth gnashing against the window like a warning it would come for him, Murphy flipped out worse then before. His grip tightened to extremes before pulling himself into a ball once more, forgetting he had the girls hand in his. With the pull, her knuckles cracked with the as they slid from his grip and Ariel let out her own yell.

"Fuck! I said take it, not break it!" She yelled her slight southern accent intensifying. Stretching her hand to assess the damage, she glowered at the bruises sure to form.

"All right, that's enough." With Murphy flipping out and Ariel pissed as hell, Doc realized he was gonna have to take control of the situation. "Look, there's only two of them."

"Five." Ariel corrected jerking her head back to signal the three around the bumper.

"Five of them. I'm gonna go out there...I'm gonna draw them away and I'm gonna mercy them. Now you just just chill out." He reached for the gun before Ariel stopped him.

"Can't have bangs unless we want booms." She sighed.

"Why is nothing ever easy?" Doc placed the gun back down only to pick up the tire iron. The two survivors exited the car quickly, Ariel stood on the seat and lifted herself onto the car top, the sound of the door being slammed close after her and the distinct sound of the car door locking had Ariel and Doc both stunned with his asshole-ery. "Oh, nice guy."

Doc took care of one of the Z's and drew the others away from the car, as they stumbled passed, Ariel slithered to the side on her stomach and gave a sharp blow with the knife to the tops of their head. The Z's around the car had been taken care of with a minute...the Zs drawn in by the commotion however where a different story. At least another six came from the woodworks and attacked the car, obviously tempted more by Ariel's juicy tender flesh and Murphy's honking of the horn.

On top of the car she was trapped, the car surrounded by a Z on each side and another two beginning to climb up the hood. Doc tried to give Ariel a hand in drawing some of them away. "Hey, stupid! You don't want him! He's all chewed up already." Doc taunted. "Come on, friend. Come on. Raise your chin for your ol' pal Doc." He slammed the jagged end up into the zombies mouth, circling back to shout encouragement. "Hang in there, Murphy! They can't get you!"

But it wasn't Murphy that was in danger. Kicking a zombie right in the face and off the hood, Ariel had been distracted at just the right moment for one of the Z's to grab her boot. With an angry thud she collided with the car top, the wind knocked out of her and her knife knocked from her hand.

Doc ran to her aid in a flash, showing mercy to the creature that had her but in turn leaving himself open to attack.

What had started out as two zombies sniffing around had turned into at least right desperate for food. As the older man struggled to keep the worker zombie at bay, from atop the car Ariel found herself face to face with the rotting flesh of the zombie that had manager to get up the hood. As open mouth came down at her, she made the desperate choice to roll out of it's path, straight down to the hard ground.

Had it not been for the rapid deadly accurate fire of the kid, they would surely be dead. Still, even with most of the Z's done for, they had little time to praise and thank the kid.

"Murphy!" Ariel shouted when the car revved before taking off. Ordering Doc to get 10k, she took off after the erratic driver. The way he was turning and swerving, he was sure to crash somewhere all because he was trying to shake off two Zs on the hood of the car.

And just like she thought, he did crash.

The rest of the group watched from safe distance as Garentt tried to pull him from the time bomb of a car. Ariel coming to stand among them with wheezing breaths.

"You were supposed to watch him!"

"I did! He flipped out over some Zs and locked us out." She tried to scream through her ragged breaths. The lot of them ducked at the grand explosion that soon followed. Eyes wide and hearts pounding they were silent the few moments that followed.

A true sign of the apocalypse stood before them. Z's dark with oil and burning flesh stood unfazed as fire danced upon their burning flesh, never stopping or slowing in their trek towards their pray.

"I have officially seen everything." Ariel mumbled.

With the worse case scenario already happening, the ban on guns was clearly lifted...

* * *

Their plan wasn't the most thought out.

Their plan wasn't the most sure thing.

What their plan was, was full of hope.

For a few moments it seemed like everything would work out. That they would take the gas, take their leave, and take Murphy to California.

Stupid, foolish, and pathetic, they had allowed themselves to hope and they were now paying the price.

Defeated, tired, and sore, the survivors regrouped by their remaining truck.

"So did we get the gas?" Murphy looked up from his place on the ground to the forlorn looks of the group around him. "Great. Who screwed that up?"

Nearby Ariel's head snapped up from her position of bracing herself on her knees. She motioned for him to come over as she quietly panted. "Come closer so I can punch you in the face."

"Oh. Sorry." He wandered off farther from the hostile blonde and company.

Warren did a quick head count the only two people missing being the hitch-hiker and the kid. Turning to Cassandra she asked, where her friend was much to the delight of Ariel. At least she wasn't the only one that picked up on something.

"He didn't make it. And he wasn't my friend."

The blonde leaned against the telephone box beside her wondering what they would do next. Almost immediately after the shrill ringing of it had her stumbling back and falling to the ground once again. It took Garnett answering it for anyone else to even move. "Of course, because our life wasn't enough of a horror movie..." Ariel's eyes rolled, Warren helping her up from the dirt.

"Hello? Hello." He looked back at them, his face showing the same surprise they felt when he began a conversation with another living being. "Sergeant Charlie Garnett. It's going...Still alive. Please tell us where to drop him off... California? Wait. No. Hold on. That's not gonna happen. We need to go some place closer." The change in his mood and demeanor was enough to let the following survivors know that something had happened. "Can I speak to someone in charge? What do you mean problematic?"

"More puppies and kittens!" Warren spotted more Zs coming their way. They armed themselves as they began to retreat, not enough bullet's and not enough time to fight off the crowd quickly shuffling towards them. When Garnett finally caught up with them his face looked worrisome and his shoulders heavy.

"Hey, what's up?" Ariel knew something drastic had happened, enough to make the usually sure leader uneasy and agitated.

"We still head for California." He ushered them along in their retreat providing no additional information. An aftershock-like explosion occurred behind them.

Apparently lady luck was apologizing for being a bitch all day.

"Awesome! Never thought I would see this thing again." Addy pulled her mace like baseball bat from the Zs head after it had embedded itself during the explosion.

"Eh, little miracles, right?" She helped Addy into the back with her her and Cassandra.

"Wait! Here comes the kid!" Doc drew attention to 10K who in turn turned the attention to something more important. Like a gift from god he motioned to the bright red containers weighing down each arm. Containers that could only hold one possible thing...gas!

"Found these." The group whooped and clapped, Addy and her taking the two extra large and extra heavy gas containers and pulling them up into the back.

With everyone accounted for they took their leave, a tired silence surrounding them until the most unlikely of people broke it.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

At the word "ma'am", all three women in the back turned to Ten Thousand with reluctance. Thankfully he was talking to Cassandra making Addy and Ariel amused at the look of distaste she gave him. "You have a finger in your hair." With a firmer nod towards it, Cassandra pulled the finger from her hair and threw it. Addy and Ariel trying to stifle their laughter but each time they looked back at each other they began again.

It was ridiculous and childish but so damn funny after the day they had had. Eventually the only thing to sober Ariel was the notice of two parallel circular burns just under Cassandra's crop top.


	4. Xylophones and Bones Are All That Remain

**Xylophones and Bones Are All That Remain  
**

* * *

"Ms. Mime's Fun Times." Ariel read aloud. "Sounds like a porno." She and 10K looked at each other, then back at the dispersing group, and finally back to the toy store. "Guess you're with me." She was scared of what they would find inside the abandoned toy store.

The store front was a red brick building, it's walls stained with the smoke of fires, smears of blood, and just general grim and dirt from years of abuse. It's displays were trashed, it's interior dark, and it's protective plastic window coverings swayed and flapped in the breeze. All in all it wasn't much worse or much better then the rest of the buildings on the little main street. The entire town seemed to be deserted but she still didn't like the idea of divvying the group. They had all split into pairs and groups to scavenge the stores for anything left. Hopefully the small town off the beaten path had been missed enough for something useful to be left for them.

The only thing that really set this building apart from the rest was that the smiling cartoon child on top had been tagged with red spray paint. It's eyes dripping blood and it's happy smile marked with red reflected what most children ended up as.

"You know that things gonna echo like crazy, right?" She stopped short of entering the store, Ten thousand stopping with her. He gave a sad little frown and shouldered his rifle, instead choosing to pull a knife from one of his pockets. His face clearly asked 'happy now?' before proceeding into the store.

The shattered windows from the glass crunched underfoot, their tired eyes straining to see through the rays of dusk that fluttered in through those plastic tarps. From what they could see, the store was ransacked. The shelves were knocked over or cleared. The signs and boxes littered the floors in tatters. "This is really depressing." 10K commented. The once colorful store filled with fun had been replaced with an empty shell of debris and dust.

She picked up once of the carry baskets next to them and promptly lead them through the aisles. "What was your favorite toy as a kid?" She suddenly asked kicking aside a rusted sagging clown jack-in-the-box. "Mine was that little robot dog, god what were they called?" She stopped riffling through shelves to look up in thought. "Poo-chi!" She grinned, looking over at him. 10K couldn't help but give a small smile back, turning back to the shelves. "What about you?" He glanced back at her smiling at him as she rounded the corner. "Nerf gun? GI Joe?" She peaked at him thought the gaping shelves.

"Those remote monster trucks." He finally caved, following her through the aisles. They didn't look very hard mostly just observing and picking up anything with a sign that said 'batteries included'.

They continued to search making small talk, well she talked, he just kind of smiled or nodded as she recounted stories of old toys. He found a slingshot, high quality judging my the elasticity and the make. Deciding to keep it in case the other broke, he was suddenly aware it had gone silent. Ariel's slight southern accent replaced by the whistling of wind through the plastic tarps outside.

His hand gripped the knife tightly. Moving swiftly and quietly he rounded the corner only to find her back turned to him. Kneeling on the ground her head was tilted looking at something in the center of the aisle. "AJ?" He asked, her shoulders were hunched, her face hidden, and 10K glanced around wondering what had happened in the past few seconds. When the girl still didn't move he carefully outstretched his hand and adjusted his stance to strike a blow just in case.

"Hey." He whispered, gripping her shoulder. Her head jerked up and towards to him whatever she had been looking at giving a musical clang as she dropped it. His hand jerked as a reflex, the knife poised to come down when he realized she was fine. Or at least not dead...

Her startled gaze returned to confusion eyes darting to the knife still poised above her. "What the hell, dude?" The tips of his ears burned and he quickly relaxed.

"Are you okay?" He asked with that timid face.

"I'm fine." When he kept that same look he had yesterday she cracked a smile. "What? Is there a finger in my hair?"

"No... You're crying." He shuffled, obviously not knowing what to do. His words dampened her smile, Ariel quickly brushing at her face to find she had indeed been crying.

 _There was no room in this world for tears,_ she reminded herself.

Blushing at her personal weakness she got up, nearly tripping over what she had been looking at so intently: a colorful metal xylophone. "A-Are you sure you're okay?" He asked. She seemed startled and out of it, clumsily regaining her footing and picking up the basket.

"I'm fine!" She put her thumb up over her shoulder, disappearing behind the next aisle.

While 10K tried to figure out what had just happened Ariel found something mighty interesting.

_ROOF ACCESS_

The metal door was covered in bloody scratch marks along the bottom. "Think anything's in there?" For the second time in ten minutes he snuck up on her.

"Stop doing that!" She slapped him on the chest hard enough to knock him back. He apologized, rubbing his sore chest while she pulled out her knife and opened the door just slightly. Giving a sharp whistle inside they listened for anything movie or growling before deciding to explore. Finding something blocking the door she motioned for help. The two youngsters counting to three before ramming all their body weight into it.

"What are you doing?" 10K whispered. The stairwell was mostly dark, the zippo lighter Ariel held, just enough to make out six inches in front of her. Thus the reason she and 10K held knives ready.

"Someone had to be up there to bar the door right?" He nodded even though she couldn't see him. "But the store's covered in dust from what has to be months. _Right_?" Another nod. "I don't know about you, but half sleeping in a moving car, running over zombies, and jammed into an SUV with eight other unwashed, sweaty people is getting really tiring! Wouldn't it be nice to sleep actually _lying down_?" She sighed dreamily when she found the roof door handle.

Yanking it open, they stepped onto the bright roof quickly, eyes scanning around before finding nothing. Putting down their knives Ariel turned towards the taller of the pair and grinned.

"We are _so_ sleeping-in tomorrow."

* * *

_There's a certain smell all car interiors have. Indescribable other that 'car smell' this particular SUV had that smell enhanced by the stench of two unwashed bodies and sweat._

_The flat hard surface of the SUVs back had become familiar the past few months. Still, the few hours of sleep she and the others of the group were afforded weren't enough to make up for the fact they were running on gas fumes and wild berries._

_Armed with the irritation of a hunger and stress induced migraine, the high 'ting-ting-tong-ding' waking her up had her irritation already spiking. The noise continued as the young girl in her care tapping away at the xylophone. Unable to take anymore, she snapped, pulling the little wooden mallet from Carly's hand._

_"What are you doing?" Her eyes cracked open taking immediate notice that it wasn't even completely light yet._

_"They came back." Carly answered quietly, continuing to run her fingers over the little toy instrument._

_"Melissa and Henry?" She brushed her dirt hair out of her face, sitting up to stretch. "Where are they?"_

_The little girl said nothing just looked over Ariel's shoulder to the woods outside. Ariel knew instantly what had the girl so morose. The couple lumbered around, they're skin pale and and bloody clothing paired with vacant expressions meant only one thing._

_They had stayed behind for a day, promising to catch up once they rested their tired bones. Sure enough they had indeed caught up...just not alive._

_Her first thought was to tell Carly not to look, but after two years it seemed stupid to try and shield her from something she'd seen so many times before. Rubbing her temples the nanny felt tired and guilty. They were running out of water, they had absolutely no food, and they're group had been cut down from 17 to 12 in the past week._

_The world had gone to shit long ago but for the first time Ariel finally felt completely hopeless._

_A vacant stare covered her face, tired to the bone she closed her eyes and prayed for Carly to stop playing that damn toy. Not having the heart to take it away from her, she silently cursed the girl for continuing to add to her migraine. Sure enough, the only thing to make her stop was Melissa slamming her head into the window, teeth gnashing and clicking with the need to bite into her._

_Carly screamed in terror, Henry coming up behind and doing the same to the rear window. Both former friends eying the girl like a t-bone steak._

_It would be nothing compared to the scream she'd give when they actually got her._

Startled awake by the memory, Ariel found herself staring into the green eyes of 10K. Quick to apologize he explained the reason he was hovering over her when he should be on watch. "You were twitching in your sleep, I thought you were having a nightmare."

"That's sweet." She groaned, stretching her back as she sat up. That familiar feeling of a flat surface making her ache. "But for the record, when it's the zombie apocalypse, and someone's having a nightmare, you probably shouldn't be within striking distance." She smiled.

"Good point."

Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep for a while, she grabbed her blanket and followed 10K to the roofs edge. Leaning against the safety wall, she pulled out two things from her bag. A hardcover book and a flimsy nearly completed Sudoku booklet. The practice of which caught the boys attention.

"What's that?"

"This? Something to keep me from blowing my brains out. A Sudoku game and Steven King's collection of short stories." She held up the two books.

"You like Steven King?"

"Love him. _Loved him_?" She furrowed er brow in question. 10K shrugged not knowing which form was correct either.

"Which book?"

"I've read and loved all them. Except IT! Never IT. I don't _do_ clowns." A shiver went down her spin at the thought. Finding him still staring at the book Ariel went ahead and offered it to him.

"Thanks." He gave a somewhat smile that was completely genuine. And Ariel suddenly felt a bit better.

"No problem."

So while 10K went back to try and focus on watch, Ariel turned back to her puzzle, letting the mostly silent night and presence of 10K beside her lull her back to sleep.

* * *

The shuffling of feet around her and the new warmth of the day roused Ariel from sleep.

"Sorry, kid, didn't mean to wake ya." Doc apologized. Ariel reassured it was alright, looking up at the light blue sky before stretching. Rolling her head and shoulders she turned away from Doc's look out.

10K stopped reading the book he had been given and looked down at the girl curled up under the blanket beside him. Her face scrunching up trying to get comfortable once more he hesitantly pulled the blanket up high on her shoulder.

"Thanks. " She mumbled. 10K smiled and and went back to reading her book, unable to sleep as his thoughts kept wandering back to the book. From across the roof, Doc shook his head with a knowing smile.

Another hour later and the camp begun to woke up, all but Mack and Cassandra moving around. Ariel sat back down between Murphy and 10K, they're food rations in her hand as she pulled the map out of her bag. "Did you read the entire book?" She noticed her bookmark before the back cover.

"I couldn't put it down." He thanked her, giving it back.

"I told you it was good."

"Yeah, you wanna know what else would be good?! You two shutting up." Murphy snapped, crossing his arms and fiddling with his jacket.

"Murphy, if you _act like_ a cranky ten year old, I will _treat you_ like a cranky ten year old. Now be quiet and eat your snack cake." She threw the Twinkie at his face.

"OH! GUYS!" Addy cringed at something behind the large air conditioning unit. Out of pure curiousness Ariel quickly got up to see what had the red head bringing out her camera.

"What? Wh-" Many of them gathered around out of pure curiosity.

"Damn." Warren sighed in pity.

"At least we know what happened to them." Ariel whispered aloud.

Hidden in the corner, tucked behind the large metal unit were the mummified corpses of a mother and her kids, huddled together waiting for help. With no trash or tools in sight, Ariel presumed they had probably come here in a last resort and starved waiting for help.

"Alright people, eat, bathroom, and pack up. We leave in an hour." Garnett ordered loudly. "And you." She was touched on the shoulder, grabbing her attention. "we need a plan. We've got another days worth of food, two if we really stretch it." Nodding in understanding, she gave the remains one last glance before walking away. There was nothing they could do for them.

Seeing Addy begin to wake Mack, Ariel took it upon herself to rouse Cassandra. Gently rubbing her shoulder she whispered what her mom had always said. "Wakey wakey, Sunshine."

It was the wrong thing to say.

Cassandra's elbow flew towards her, the blonde falling back and out of the way just in time. "What the hell?!" She cursed. The others watched, not yet willing to intervene but making sure they wouldn't be needed.

They couldn't have in-group fighting.

Cassandra froze, sitting up and starring at Ariel, the other girl recognized something in her eyes that made her anger drop. There was a deep rooted fear, a primal need to get away that had her nearly breaking Ariel's nose simply for spooking her and because of that Ariel choose not to press it further.

Yesterday's fiasco with Scruffy, his seemingly apathetic demise and later the burn marks that appeared on her stomach all pointed to something shady going on. And Ariel had a feeling the silent scream in her eyes when she woke her up was just another part of that.

"What was that?" Garnett looked back at the other girl waking up.

"Nothing, I shouldn't have spooked her like that."

"Hey? Do you know where we're going yet?" Mack called over.

Pulling out her map she had it" She narrowed down to two places.

"Let's see...almost no food, low on water, barley any gas." She mumbled to herself, crossing out options in her head. Finally picking their destinations she met with the group. "We need to heads towards Baltimore. So we start by going through Philly."

"Philadelphia?" Ariel heard Cassandra behind her.

Unable to bite her tongue she rolled her eyes and turned around. Plastering on a fake smile in attempt to be pleasant she still couldn't stop the annoyed sarcasm. "Yeah, Cass, that would be the technical name for it." The other woman was obviously not happy and quickly turned around, walking away from the group.

For a brief moment she though of changing their course but decided against it. "Screw it." She huffed, folding up the map. Thy didn't like it, they could find they're own way.

Like almost Always, Ariel was right in that there wouldn't be Z's to worry about.

But it wouldn't be the Zombies they had to worry about.


	5. When in Philly, Feast Like the Phillies Do

**When in Philly, Feast Like the Phillies Do**

* * *

The was an odd calmness to the apocalypse. Quiet moments where only the hum of an engine and the whistle of wind could be heard. It was times like these you could get lost in thought. And for a while, that's what happened to come of the occupants of the car.

That quiet was quickly broken when Cassandra could no longer hold her worried tongue.

"Why are we going this way? Philly's a dead zone." She had made her displeasure clear throughout the past two days, mumbling, grumbling, and shifting nervously. It was suspicious and alarming. And earlier that morning she had told Garnett exactly that.

"We're just cutting through the outskirts," Ariel mumbled from between her and Murphy. The map was a mess, the marker in her mouth bouncing as she tried to focus on getting them a quicker or more bountiful route.

"Hopefully we can scavenge something without going too deep into the city," Garnett reassured from the front seat.

"If we find a working radio, we can try to contact that Z guy again."

Warren's hopefulness was shut down by Ariel. "If he's still alive, that is." After the past few hiccups in the plans, Ariel had taken it upon herself to plan two backup routes for every path they chose. The added stress had clearly taken a toll on her mood.

Some people in the group; however, just couldn't be put down today.

Murphy leaned out the window, basking in the sunshine. "Philadelphia." He observed the wasteland they traveled through, eyes halting momentarily on a small group of zombies digging into a human carcass. "Ah, the city of brotherly love..." He sighed.

"Lovely." Ariel's face scrunched up disgust.

"Is that what I think it is?" Warren suddenly spoke up.

"No way."

The truck rolled to a stop, Garnett quick to jump out to investigate. It gave Cassandra and Ariel the same view of an old rusting bell tied to the flatbed of a truck. It was the age of the bell and the prominent crack that caught their attention. "No _fricken_ way!"

Doc and Warren followed Garnette, stretching their legs and investigating the misplaced wonder.

"Is that really the Liberty Bell?"

" _Proclaim liberty throughout all the land and unto all the inhabitants thereof._ " Garnett recited, close enough to inspect it. "Yeah, that's it."

"Damn! Three years of a zombie apocalypse, you think you've seen everything." Doc was in awe.

"Why's it here?" Ariel leaned over Murphy, sticking her head out to see. Funnily enough through all the road trips her family had taken, nearly none involved any patriotic historical stops. Like everyone else, they just kind of assumed it would always be there come the next time around.

Warren could only shrug. "Well when everything went bad, they probably tried to save a little history."

"Especially after the Louvre was burnt to a shell." Ariel scoffed.

Banks locked up their gold, museums vaulted their works, and the rich retreated to fortified skyscrapers with their riches. All the while the world was being bitten off in percentages per day.

_Human selfishness knew no end._

"Well, they should've known the only thing you can save is yourself." Murphy finished her thought loudly into her ear.

Still sketchy from his past encounters, he eyed the zombies still feasting down the road. The longer they were stationary the more he became agitated. " _Let's gooo_!" He hollered. His nanny slapped him upside the head. She made him scoot over so she could get out. With only mild bickering, she jumped from the truck and rubbed her ringing ear.

Warren and Garnett thought aloud about salvaging the truck for themselves while Doc and Ariel looked over the bell. Untreated after the past few years it was beginning to oxidize. Knowing her hand would probably smell like pennies for a while Ariel chose to risk it and gently run her hand over the much-admired piece of American history. Tracing the crack with her fingers she couldn't help but scratch at the fairly new red spray paint on it.

"God bless the human race." Doc shook his head. "99% of 'em dead, but there's still one jackass alive with a spray can."

"One that's not far away." She mumbled, rubbing the still congealing paint off her fingertips. Her green eyes turned up the street, wondering if, by chance, the same tagger of the toy store had beat them there.

10K mercied the growling corpse in the driver's seat. "One thousand seventy-five," he noted. With that taken care of, the rest of the travelers stayed on guard as Doc and Garnett jump started the truck. It took only three tries before the engine sputtered and purred.

"Alright, that's it." Garnett slammed the hood closed. "Let's go! Murphy, AJ, with Warren and me." He beckoned them over. The rest of the team crowded into the pick up behind them.

"You know you could try to miss some of them instead." Garnett gently scolded.

"Why?" Warren nearly smiled. "One less zombie to kill." The truck jerked as it drove down yet another body. Truth be told, they were starting to think she enjoyed it.

Murphy, having no sympathy for the dead, was more inconvenienced by the bumpy ride jarring him around. "Leave some for Psycho-Boy Two Thousand."

" ** _Ten Thousand._** " The three corrected. The four bodied jumped as a group of three crunched below the wheels. Murphy's open bottle splashing at the impact.

" _Ten_ Thousand?" He feigned awe. "Huh, it's good to know kids today still have some goals." He tilted his head back and greedily gulped down the water to calm his nerves. He tried to turn it to Scotch by sheer will alone.

Garnett tried to keep control of the back since he could do little about Warren. "Hey, take it easy there! That's the last of your water."

"Actually it's the last of _her_ water." Murphy nodded to Warren, looking down at a second full bottle from his side. "Mine's right here."

"Murphy!" Ariel admonished. "Give me _that_!" She ripped the canteen from his grip. A small shake revealed it had no more than a few drops left in it.

Warren seethed, staring the disheveled convict down. Her teeth bared in warning, she gave him one last warning at how close he was to what he deserved. "Just because we got to get you to California alive doesn't mean I can't _kick your ass_ between here and there."

_"Look out!"_

The guy they had witnessed becoming a midday meal for a few stray Zs clearly hadn't been alone. Having less luck than Murphy had at shaking off the small hoard, the driver of the electric car was more preoccupied with being eaten then following the rules of road safety. Warren swerved, narrowly missing the speeding z-ball. The truck skidded to a near crashing stop. It's weathered straps breaking and compelled by the laws of motion, the bell continued on its path. Clanging and banging, it tore through the street and those in its way. The group watched in amazement as it ripped the legs off one walker in its path, leaving the bones and boots swaying till they knocked themselves over.

Doc pulled himself out of his truck, giving a low whistle as they watched the bell go. "I'd pay money to see that again..."

A broken axle had them abandoning the truck just as quickly as they had found it. As more Zs were drawn in by the sound, the survivors were forced to flee out of the preferred path once more.

* * *

"Enjoy." Warren sighed once the grumbling of stomachs could no longer be ignored. "That's the last of the food."

 _Food? Ha!_ The single twinkie each member held seemed to mock them. Knowing very well that this might be their last meal for days, some members of the group cherished the stale cake while others, meaning Murphy, stuffed it into their mouth without another thought. With his own food gone, Murphy licked the wrapper desperately for any crumbs he'd missed. He looked around, watching the others still nibbling. He crinkled the plastic and threw it to the ground. _What was one wrapper admits a city of corpses?_

"God, I'm so hungry my big guts are eating my little guts." He turned to 10K on his other side admiring the twinkie he had just bit into to. "You gonna eat all of that?" He reached for it, causing 10K to stuff it into his mouth the same way Murphy previously had. "Selfish little bastard."

Having always split her own with Carly, AJ was used to minimal food. Knowing he wouldn't shut up, she tried to placate him just a bit more. The Nanny tore her own stale twinkie in half, holding the pastry to the grumbling man-child. "Here you spoiled -"

Murphy snatched the pastry from her hand and was swallowing it before she could even finish. A muffled word that may or may not have been 'thanks', though it probably wasn't, barely escaped the twinkie stuffed hole.

"You're welcome." She grumbled back at him. Leaning back against the grill of the car, she closed her eyes and listened for the plan. Around her Cassandra snuck her own twinkie into her bag, Murphy was being glared at by a disapproving Doc, and 10K glanced down at the blonde beside him. He suddenly wished he hadn't been so brash swallowing all of his own.

Garnette finished checking their supplies and joined them at the front. "We need to split up and look for food and water."

"Oh, if we can find a two-way radio or even like a satellite dish, I can try to contact that Citizen Z guy." Addy seemed eager to volunteer.

"That's good." Garnett approved. "Okay, you and Mack do that. And the rest of us will look for food. Doc, you take 10K. Warren and I will take Murphy."

"And them?" Warren nodded to the two yet to be assigned, her voice low as they watched the two.

Cassandra and Ariel had kept their distance, tension still high between them after the incident on the roof. Ariel had warned them of her suspicions of the cagey girl, the implications of which weighed heavily on his mind. Which should he trust more: the girl they had been traveling with longer who still had yet to answer for her suspicious meeting, or the girl they had just recently entrusted but had people to vouch for her?

He was torn between taking the warning seriously and wanting desperately to just chalk it up to the group finding their footing, a little tension that would ease out in time. He could only pray for the latter. They could have group therapy and a proper meet and greet when they weren't starving and surrounded by hostiles.

He suddenly remembered his own twin daughters. Pushing aside the gut-twisting pain of grief, he focused on how his wife would handle them when they fought. He called out to the unassigned girls.

"Actually..." Garnett paused in thought. "You two go with them." He pointing at Doc and the kid. The two girls glanced at each other before shuffling along, clearly not pleased with the assignment. Having given no objections, he assumed they could behave themselves a bit longer.

"Stay close, everyone. Meet back here in an hour. Let's go." He ordered. As the three groups went their separate ways, Warren quietly stopped her partner.

"Are you sure you wanna do that?" She looked at the two girls keeping their distance. "Seemed like they're at their ends already." The implication was clear. _Maybe forcing them together wasn't the wisest idea..._

"Yeah? Well, like it or not they need to get over it." He shrugged. He wasn't prepared for in-group fighting, not in one as small as theirs and sure as hell not this soon.

"And Cassandra?" The cage, the refinery… something in her story was ringing warning bells in Warren's head too. "We just gonna ' _get over'_ that too?" She raised a sculpted brow.

"Till we have food?...Yeah."

* * *

It was Doc who spotted the hidden treasure. "Hey, kid." He beckoned 10K over. "Give me a hand with this, will ya?" Dingy and worn down, the satellite could have been easily missed amongst the other junk that littered the fire escape. Their height was a great advantage, both men standing atop the rusting dumpster as they tried to detach the dish.

"Just like the apocalypse to make you need a screwdriver right after you leave it in some Z's head." Doc shook his head, trying to wiggle the dish free from its perch, screwed and bolted in. His fingers strained to undo the tight fixtures until finally, they wiggled it a bit free.

Using the butt of 10Ks rifle they whacked the bolted base like a piñata. Slowly but surely, it was being beaten down and towards Docs outstretched hands.

Ariel peered up at them under the shade of her hand. "Anyone else having fifth-grade flashbacks?" She jumped out the way as some of the debris fell. Among the usual litter of soup cans and trash came a few presents from the fire escape. A swiss army knife and baggie of mysterious white pills. "Apocalyptic candy." She picked up the baggie, sliding it into Doc's satchel as she pocketed the blade. " _Cool._ "

"I don't know why we stopped here in Philly." Ariel rolled her eyes hearing Cassandra's whine again. "We should've kept going."

"Going? Going _where_? We're out of food, we've got a quarter tank of gas, our ammo is a third of what it was when we left the camp, and every time I make a plan _someone_ does _something_ to screw it up!"

"Hey. Hey now!" Doc intervened from atop the dumpster. He held his hand out defensively, trying to calm the practically circling girls as if they were dogs about to fight. "Let's just take a moment to relax, chill, just-" Doc nodded gently, slowly spreading his hands apart to suggest they separate. Taking his advice they kind of wandered away to the two separate sides of the alleyway, each girl looking out for anything coming.

With that crisis averted he turned his attention back to the satellite. "We need to find a way to communicate with that Citizen dude. And I think Addy can do something with this dish. Who knows, maybe we'll get lucky and pick up porn." He grinned towards 10K.

"Never seen porn." His trivial response caused a bit of a small uproar.

"You've never seen porn?!"

"Really?"

" _Never?!_ "

With three sets of wide eyes on him, he could only shake his head. "Before my time."

Ariel's mouth dropped open, her narrowed green eyes regarding him with new suspicion. _What teenage boy had never seen porn? A movie, a magazine, something..._

Under her gaze, 10K's ears tinted red. He shrugged, looking to Doc for advice. "Is it good?"

The responses were immediate.

"Uh? Yeah!" Doc seemed outraged while Cassandra seemed apathetic with a shrug.

"Meh."

"Depends on the kind." Ariel thought aloud.

He turned towards the blonde confused. "There are different kinds?"

His reaction was priceless and Ariel couldn't help but laugh a deep belly laughter, turning away and trying to calm herself. Her response made the younger man flush red and turn back to holding the dish. The red on his face and ears only furthered a suspicion Doc had.

Doc began shouting directions loudly, the creaking of the metal dish being eased off and Ariel shouting at them to be careful, left little of the chase happening behind them audible.

It wasn't until Ariel glanced behind her to find Cassandra gone that she knew something was up.

With little trust placed in her, AJ had no trouble imagining her up to nefarious deeds. Ariel looked back at the men weighing her options. Rather than draw their attention away from the much needed satellite, she went to check it out herself.

She pulled her gun, keeping it armed and ready, just in case, as she quietly followed the end of a shadow around the corner. Running towards the continuing sound of footsteps just out of sight, she dropped low at the sound of rapid gunshots being fired. Low to the ground and aiming her weapon, she made herself be brave as she peeked 'round the corner. Her eyes brows furrowed, her eyes bulging in surprise.

Two men mowed down Z's left and right. One of the rough looking men looking vaguely familiar.

A crunched can clattered against a shifting foot. Ariel turned her gun towards the sound. This face was much more familiar, and yet, still not quite welcoming.

* * *

Cassandra hid behind the dumpster. Fear and heat warmed her already dehydrated body. Overwhelmed by the impossible odds against her, she felt her teeth grit painfully tight as she considered which method she'd prefer to die by. If she stayed, she'd be overtaken by Zs. If she moved, they'd find her and take her back to the compound, back to Tobias and the family.

Either way, she was almost certain by the end of the day she'd be left dead and somethings meal. Her eyes burned with the impossible choice. Still, she wouldn't let herself cry. It seemed her choice was made for her when a hand touched her shoulder. She'd never go down without a fight… Clutching at a rusted piece of rebar, she armed it like a knife and brought it down as she turned.

Ariel ducked from yet another one of Cassandra's swings. Barely managing to grab the girl's wrist, AJ narrowed her eyes in a glare unmatched. "You do that one more time, and I'm kicking your ass." She didn't wait for a response, dragging her by the arm into the smaller hallway alley and circling back to the others.

"What the hell was that?" She let go with a slight push.

"Forget it." The thinner girl tried to march ahead, quite literally trying to put it all behind them.

"Fuck that." She laughed. "What was _that_? Who were they? Why didn't you yell for help?" She tried giving her the benefit of the doubt, but still, something wasn't adding up.

"I had it covered!"

"You were weaponless and trapped behind a dumpster by two guys with machine guns. If they didn't get you the zombies about to swarm from the sound sure as hell would have. And another thing-!" She stopped to yell at the stomping off Cassandra. "Next time think before you act! They could have come back to kill us or take us or-"

Cass's brown eyes seemed to darken with a bit of bloodshot. Her voice wavered, but she still wouldn't let herself cry. "They didn't want you!"

"You don't know that!" AJ brushed her blonde hair back, gripping at her hair in frustration. She felt like she was at her wit's end dealing with a child once more. It wasn't the fact they were wrong, people were allowed to be wrong. It was the sheer, unwavering arrogance of it that had her wanting to tear her hair out.

"Yes! I do!" Cassandra screamed back hoarsely. Continuing to pick up the pace and separate herself from the other girl, Cassandra's thought ran a thousand miles a minute. She didn't know what to do. Tell them? Run? Tell them to warn them and then run? What if AJ told them?

Said girl was currently jogging to catch up with her, shouting at her to explain herself. But Cassandra continued to ignore her. Rejoining 10K and Doc, she prayed Ariel would just drop it.

"Where'd you two run off to?" Doc questioned. He and 10K had nearly shot them when they came storming out the alley like that, having assumed they'd gone off for " _womanly things_ " as Doc called it.

"She-!"

"I thought I saw something. We went to check it out." Cassandra shut her up, storming passed the men as well.

Ariel's face scrunched up at the audacity to try and make her lie. "What? _No!_ "

"No?" Doc questioned. Both he and 10k raised their brows. They looking between the two out of breath girls. Finally, they turned to AJ, waiting for her explanation.

"No. She…" Her hand raised in the direction of her human foil. _"She..._ " Ariel couldn't bring herself to say it. Stationary at last, there was no way to hide the tears glazing those brown eyes, her pretty face scrunched in a begging look behind their backs. She mouthed a final plea.

AJ bit her lip. Her hand fell to her side, slapping against her leg as she stared off and cursed under her breath. "Fuck it." She didn't know why she did it. It was stupid. And stupid got you killed in this world, but she dropped the subject. At least for now.

She marched past them all in a huff, planning to take it up with Garnett as soon as she saw him.

It wouldn't be long.

"It's about time!" Murphy groaned.

Ariel gave him a dirty look, so focused on the acts of the girl behind her she had missed the absence of the girl before her.

"What's wrong?" Doc could not ignore the harsh vibes coming from his crew. His old blue eyes looked around, not finding his usual buddy of cheer. "Where's Addy?"

This regained the younger members' attentions.

"Missing." Warren looked at them all suspiciously.

"Is she...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the thought.

"No." Mack's words were dark, threatening. "Taken alive." He advanced towards them.

But the small relief the words brought was fleeting. Instead, it just raised more question.

"What?"

"By humans." Mack didn't look at Doc or the others. He looked to AJ, then Cassandra. AJ raised a brow back in challenge. Cassandra wouldn't meet his eye.

"Who?!" Doc prompted, twisting with the suspense.

With Cassandra pinned between Mack's unwavering glare and the truck, surrounded by the rest of the shocked group, Mack's accusation was a nail in the shutting coffin. "We thought you might know."

Her heart stopped at the insinuation. "Me? Why would I know?"

Mack revealed the camera still clutched in his hand, rolling it in his hand he displayed the small blurry screen, the kidnapper's faces paused on screen. "You recognize these guys?"

Cassandra only glanced that the proof. "No. Why would I?"

Warren cozied up to her on her other side, further intimidating the girl and reminding her she was outnumbered. "Creep on the left was one of those two bikers back in Jersey. With your friend Travis."

"Scruffy?" Their navigator spoke up. She caught Cassandra's gaze, the pieces coming together in an unflattering picture.

"I told you, I didn't know that guy. And I don't know them either." Cassandra tightened her jaw and tried to avoid eye contact.

Ariel gritted her teeth. Furious, she lurched forward taking the camera and rewinding it. Playing it from the beginning, it only took her a minute for her entire face to transform. Her eyes hardened as her pretty face tensing and sharpening under the strain of self-control. "She's lying! These guys chased her down the alley fifteen minutes ago." She tossed the camera back to Mack, her fury becoming personal.

"You told me they wanted you!" Her own voice broke at the accusation, feeling as though she'd been made a part of the betrayal against the people she had promised to help. "Did you plan this?!" Ariel took a step back, appalled at the idea.

It was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a cold fury, none of them had seen before, Mack pulled his gun and pressed it to Cassandra's temple. "You are gonna start telling me the truth right now or I am going to start blowing holes in you until you do." His hand wrapped around her throat, anchoring her to the car.

" _Woah_!" AJ looked to Warren to reel him in.

" _Mack!_ " They called for him to relax.

The desperate man tightened his grip on Cassandra's throat. With a thud, her body was pressed harder into the truck, reminding her of her defenseless position. "Do you understand me?!"

Things were spinning out of control. Garnett stepped up between the two, prying Mack's fingers off Cassandra's neck. Ariel had indeed been right about Casandra...but more bloodshed wasn't going to repair their group. "Mack! Put the gun away. Put. The gun. Away." He ordered the younger man as calmly as he could manage. Pushing him off to the others, he waited until he saw Mack hand over the gun to Doc before confronting Cassandra with a less volatile touch. "You're gonna tell us everything you know about these guys. Right now."

"Or I'll shoot you." Warren cocked her own gun. Garnett closed his eyes to repress an eyeroll.

Her chin trembled, once more feeling like she was being faced with the impossible choice of how she wanted to die. "I can't go back!" Cassandra cried in desperation.

"Back _where_? Where? _Where_?! Where is she?! Where is she?!" Mack was unhinged, screaming in her face.

Once more, their own voices drowned out the sound of approaching danger.

The dominoes had been knocked over. And like all times before someone would be crushed under the last one falling. Having followed the sound of voices and shouting, a lone Z struck gold when he eyed the inattentive survivors just standing around with their back to him. Taking off at a clumsy sprint, he grabbed the blonde one closest to him.

Ariel screamed as she was grabbed from behind. Startling the others to attention. They watched as it grabbed her shoulder and arm in a vice-like grip, it's rotting mouth growling between frantic chomps at her neck. Her free hand had crossed over her chest and gripped at his jaw with all her might, keeping him away from her neck enough to void a bite but not enough for her to miss the feeling of his snarled lips grazing the raised hairs on her neck. She cried out in desperation as it overpowered her, bending her forward and making her lose her grip.

It was enough for him to get his meal.

And it was enough for 10K to get a shot.

The growling was ended by a bullet to the head. It was over as quickly as it had begun.

The Z fell back while Ariel fell forward. On her knees and shaking, she heard some of the group take off after Cassandra who had used their concern as a distraction to slip past them.

A gentle hand rested on her heaving back and Ariel was quick to push them away. Raising on shaking legs she took the brown scarf 10k had offered her with raised hands. Whipping the blood splatter and brain off the side of her face she turned back around to look at the nearly headless zombie. In rage and frustration, she kicked at its corpse. "You - mother - fucking - fuck face!" She screamed with each kick.

Angry and shaken, she let Doc pull her into a hug.

The gobs and drizzle of saliva still shimmered under the sun on her neck and shoulder. It was the closest they had seen anyone nearly been bitten. AJ slapped angrily at her neck, trying in vain to get the feeling of the zombie off her. And with a final kick and scream at the body, she described what every single one of them was feeling.

"Fuck!"

* * *

The low disbelieving mumbles from Doc was the only real sound in the tense alleyway. Ariel had remained silent since her outburst. Sitting on the hood of the truck's engine, her head hung low as she tried to calm her still racing heart. She rubbed at her neck absentmindedly.

If she focused hard enough she could swear she could feel a light indent from its teeth. The thought made her cringe under her curtain of hair. The sound of chomping teeth right in her ear would never be forgotten and would only add fuel to her ever-growing nightmare fire.

The presence of a now damp scarf in her line of sight had her look up.

"You, uh, missed a spot. A lot of spots." He pulled a face. She glared at him despite her smile. Taking the brown scarf he held out to her for a second time today, she gently rubbed at her face. It was cool and refreshing and helped her feel so much better. Looking up at him for inspection he thin his lips as if thinking before hesitantly raising a finger to point where she had missed. "Ahh..."

She sighed in defeat and hung her head.

"Um-"

She held the rag up to him in question, assuming he had wanted it back. So color her surprised when he gently folded the damp edge and picked a piece of skull from her hair before rubbing at the crusted blood by her ear.

"Thanks." She said quietly. It was gentle, and kind, and made her see the sniper as something other than 'the silent one'. He had done a good job at avoiding eye contact thus far, but as soon as she thanked him he couldn't avoid it any longer. Meeting her blue eyes and seeing them crinkle with a sweet smile, 10k nervously nodded. "Not just for this." She clarified. "But earlier...ya know...when you kept me from turning Z." She tried to make him smile, wondering if his stoic expression could be broken, too. "You'd all be lost without me...literally. Ah! He can smile!" She called out.

Feeling his slip up, 10K flexed his jaw to keep from looking like an idiot. It wasn't that funny, and they both knew it. He sobered himself, trying not to let the heat in his cheeks show as he pulled away from the pretty blonde.

"Well, I think I'm funny," Ariel mumbled to herself.

"Hey, they're back," Doc called from the other end of the truck. All attention was on Cassandra as once more she was placed in the middle of their group.

"So are we leaving yet?" Murphy jumped up onto the hood with Ariel.

"No!" He was silenced.

"So who took her?" Doc asked.

"Cannibals."

"...Cannibals?" Ariel leaned forward to hear better.

"Yeah." Warren nodded.

" _People_ eating canni-"

"Yeah. _Cannibal_ -cannibals." She snapped.

"Oh. Okay." Ariel nodded. "Yeah..." Her face twisted up in thought before she shrugged. "Just turning out to be that kinda day, I guess" She sighed. She scratched at her neck nervously.

"Reminds me of this joke!" Murphy laughed, drawing their attention. "There was this farmer. Had the smartest pig in the world, Arnold. This pig could read and do math. Arnold was famous." He tried not to laugh through the story, looking at their unamused faced. "And then, one day, the farmer's friend, he comes over and he sees Arnold tripping around on three legs. And he says to the farmer, 'hey, what happened to poor Arnold?' And the farmer says "Smart pig like that... _you don't eat him all at once!_ " Murphy gave a wheezing laugh, tickled pink at his own joke.

Ariel waved a graceful 'presenting' hand in his direction with a tight smile. "The savior of the human race, everybody." She gave three slow claps, her sarcasm dripping with distaste.

"Oh, what? Too soon?" He looked at the rest of them. "Tough crowd." He mumbled. Ariel pushed him off the hood with her foot.

His disgruntled cry went uncared for.

"We didn't start out as cannibals."

Cassandra's words held little value to most member of the group. Still, with Addy on the line, they played along.

"Cannibals? How is that even possible?" Garnett questioned. "Everything's infected with the zombie virus."

"If you kill it and eat it, you get the live virus. But if you eat it alive..." Cassandra didn't have to finish.

"Oh god, if I had anything other than a half a twinkie in my stomach I would hurl." Ariel put her head between her knees trying to block out the images in her head.

That comment, combined with the ludicrous stares they gave, was exactly what Cassandra was afraid of. She tried desperately to make them understand. "We were people just trying to survive! Tobias saved me. First from the Zs. Then from the worst of humanity. He was a good man." The past tense didn't go unnoticed. "Then his wife got sick. She just couldn't take it anymore. And he was never the same after that. When Black Summer came and everyone else in the world was starving he swore he would do whatever it took to keep us alive. And he did."

"I'm going back for Addy!" Mack was tired of listening to her. His path was quickly blocked. "Garnett, do not try to stop me!"

"Nobody's gonna to stop you. We're all going back!" He announced to the rest of them. "We just need a plan."

"You don't understand! These people are worse than Zs! They'll kill all of you!" Cassandra screamed. She had the guilt of one person on her conscious. She couldn't stand the guilt of all of their deaths.

"Yeah, she's right," Murphy spoke up. "We need to look at the big picture."

 ** _"Shut up!"_** The group turned on him once more.

"Do you know where they've taken her?"

Cassandra looked around at their faces, her shoulders dropping with defeat. "Yeah...but it's not gonna be easy."

* * *

"How do you think it's going?" Doc looked out in the direction the rest of the group had gone. Out of the way of danger he and Ariel were once more entrusted with the fate of Murphy should they not come back. The clear sky and open field left the bright sun shining down on them without mercy. The truck becoming too hot to just wait in, the three shuffled about on the dirt road, waiting for sight or sound of their friends.

"We're waiting out here in the open while the rest of our group is negotiating a hostage release with cult-y cannibals. Overall I have to say that the day could have gone better." Her stomach twisted in hunger pain. "Oh, and we still have no food." Ariel kicked at a stray can. The old can had tarnished and rusted, collapsing under the strain of her cowboy boot. It was a sad reminder of how rare food had become.

"Well, you know what they say: When in Philly, feast like the Phillies do!"

"I swear I will dry heave on you." She threatened Murphy.

"Oh come on! How can we ever trust Cannibal Cassy?!"

"Because she...because..." Unable to think of anything she could only respond. "Shut up, Murphy!"

"Fine. But don't come whining to me when you find her nibbling on your sweat salted leg one night!"

" _Murphy!_ " Doc and Ariel yelled before they were silenced by gunfire.

The trio looked on, waiting for a sign things had possibly worked out in their favor. "That didn't sound good."

* * *

"So you guys just left her there?" She was expecting someone to get shot, or them to encounter some Z's, not trade off Cassandra for Addy. The later of which was in the other alley changing out of her hooker robe and into spare clothes.

"We didn't have a choice," Garnette yelled through gritted teeth in frustration. She was shorter and thinner than him and half his size, but the unnerving glare that she kept aiming at him was starting to burn into his skin.

"Hey, we about given up on you." They stopped arguing to look at the changed Addy, wiping her tears away.

"I actually gave up on you about an hour ago." Murphy showed a rare moment of humanity, trying to make the redhead feel better with his usual poorly timed jokes.

"Never thought I'd be happy to see your sad ass again." She smiled for the first time since they got her back. She had obviously seen something she wasn't yet ready to talk about and they were all trying to get over it and get out as soon as possible.

"Let's get out of here, guys." Mack opened the door for his girlfriend. Yet she, along with Warren and Ariel, froze.

" _Now?_ Wait."

"Come on."

"We're not we're not leaving her there, are we?" Addy looked to the rest of the group.

"Addy. She lied to us." Mack turned to logic to persuade her. At which point Ariel raised a finger, to draw attention.

"Okay I think we all know I wasn't her number one cheerleader, but come on!" Ariel shifted restlessly in her boots. While the cannibal cult had indeed been a curveball no one saw coming, she now felt she had only lit the torches. She couldn't very well let them sharpen the pitchforks in front of her. "She did what she did to survive and she…" Ariel felt her stomach turn. "She fucked up, okay, but she tried to make it right… she DID make it right." She turned to Garnette reminding them they were only here because Cass has sacrificed herself, even knowing her fate.

Mack saw nothing but Addy and the life without her he almost had to endure. Any reasoning was useless to him. "Yeah, but first it almost got us killed!"

"We can't do that. We can't just leave her there."

"Come in the truck with me. We'll talk about this when you're safe." Mack tried to pull Addy into the car. The redhead pulling her hand back.

"I am not going."

Garnett tried to end the discussion. "Look, he's right. We almost all got killed going back for you."

"Yeah, she's a freakin' cannibal, and she got what she deserved." Murphy crudely butted in. Ariel only had to give him a look to make him shut up and back away.

"She did what she had to do to survive. And you of all people would have done the same."

"Maybe you should jump down from your high horse." AJ glowered at Mack and Murphy. "We don't know much more than each others name. Hell, we don't even know your name!" She turned to 10K, the young man going wide-eyed at the anger she directed at him. "We don't know why you were in prison." She pointed another finger at Murphy. "And we don't know what any of each other did or thought of doing to survive."

"Like leaving someone behind's a first for you?" He snorted to himself.

"What did you say?!" AJ nearly charged at Murphy, a look of cold disbelieving fury on her face. 10K grabbed at her belt, holding her as Doc stepped between them to play peacekeeper.

"Come on, they're right! We cannot leave her back there! You men don't know what it's like." Warren shouted, shaming them.

"What is this, a chick thing now?"

" _Yes!_ " The three women yelled at him. AJ wrenched herself from 10Ks loose hold. The girls seemed to converge on one side of their party, the men dumbly standing on the other. Addy stared down Mack, Warren stared down Doc and Garnett, while Ariel had Murphy and 10K trying not to meet her eyes. Their unwavering fury made them all cave.

"Alright, I want to help her, too. But we're not gonna beat a 50caliber machine gun. It's gonna tear us to pieces before we get to the fence."

Warren turned to the kid. "How good a shot are you?"

10k took aimed and shot of a single round, hitting a Z directly in the knee and bring it down. "Pretty good." He shrugged, then continued his ritual. "One thousand eighty-four. Oh yeah, and a half."

"A half?" Doc asked him.

"Okay. Okay...uh...ah!" Ariel perked up as an idea sprung to mind. "I have an idea."

"What?"

With a sly smile, she turned towards Addy. "Something our little cannibal friend taught us. Think you can work your magic and contact Citizen Z?"

"What are you thinking?"

Ariel gave a clever smile and looked to Doc. "How are good are you at being creepy?"

"How creepy?"

"Hooker-hiring creepy."

He shrugged, stroking his beard. "Eh, pretty good." A small moment of reminiscence grossed his relaxed features. He really missed the 70s.

"Then this might just work."

* * *

"Are you sure this is gonna work?"

"Nope." Ariel's hands shook, finding the channel Citizen Z would be playing on.

"You know this is gonna get us all killed, right?" Murphy hissed at them from the back seat of the truck.

"At least we're going out with some style." The static finally gave way to a familiar tune. "Crank it up!" Warren ordered Mack. The classical music was near deafening from above them, drawing every Z within a mile towards them.

"Here they come!"

"If you got any prayers, now's the time." Warren floored the gas peddle, leading them towards the camp. Through the air, the Ride Of The Valkyries blared through the alarm speaker at near full volume. The truck charged forward… Victory or Valhalla.

10K and Garnett were already at the CCC (Crazy-Cannibal-Cultists) camp, ready to fire. Inside, Doc was posing as a loner looking for some company. He would get Cassandra, wait for the signal, the music playing, and then ambush the guards they would no doubt have. He and Cassandra would then take cover and wait for those coming in the truck to pick them up, while the Zs they lead to the camp overpowered the cannibals and 10K took out the gunners.

It perhaps wasn't the foolproof plan they needed, but it was all they had at the moment. Breaking through the front gate, they heard the gunfire begin, starting and stopping and starting again as the cult tried to kill both the rescue group and the zombies overrunning them.

" _In! In! In!_ " Ariel motioned yelled for them to run to the truck. Opening the door, Cassandra came crashing into Ariel, the blonde reaching to close the door behind her as Warren floored the gas peddle back out of the camp. Slowing down enough for Garnett and 10K to jump into the flatbed with Doc, they didn't look back in their getaway. They cut the music, leaving the Zs and CCs to their fate as they drove off into the sunset if only for a while.

A few miles later, with no sign of the crazies, Cassandra allowed herself to feel overwhelmingly grateful. Between Ariel and Addy, the girls who had been most affected by her lies who in turn became two of her closest allies, Cassandra nearly cried. Turning to the blonde she had butted head with the past week, Cassandra felt a heavyweight be lifted from her shoulders at her secrets being revealed and accepted. Still, she owed her an apology. "About-"

Ariel stopped her, sensing what she was trying to do. "We're cool. You did what you had to to survive. You're a badass." She put her hand over Cassandra's, hoping to bring her some small comfort in her still important role in their group. "And I'm glad you're with us."

Cassandra took Ariel's hand, clutching it tightly as she allowed herself to rest her head on Addy's shoulder. From the radio, Citizen Z began a much-needed speech directed not only at them but whatever other survivors were still out there.

_"Hope my peeps down in the Philly area can hear this. Thought I'd spin some blues to travel by. And to anybody else out there within the sound of my voice. I hope some slide guitar gets you through another messed up day of death and destruction. Everybody out there, whether you're hiding in a cave or running for your life, just keep doing what you got to do to stay alive. Because in the end, that's the only way we're gonna win this Zombie Apocalypse thing. Bash 'em, slash 'em, bust 'em, and burn 'em. Whatever it takes. Just stay alive. No questions asked."_


End file.
